The Fish that Loved the Bird
by Brave-Phoenix
Summary: Tsukasa's got a problem, and it's about time that Shiki faced up to being her big brother.


_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Nakamura Yoshiki's masterpiece TOKYO CRAZY PARADISE._

_**Note:**__ This is randomness that I wanted to do because I wanted to play with Shiki and Tsukasa's relationship. I figured, hey, what the heck- it's time for him to be a big brother. So here it is- pump it full of holes in your reviews. XP_

**The Fish that Loved the Bird**

_Kyuubi Seitenshi_

Their paths crossed just once every blue moon or so. Hougou Shiki and Kozuki Tsukasa weren't on the best of terms, but their lives still managed to intertwine, somehow. If ever seen together on one of these occasions, Tsukasa's mood was obviously the deciding factor- if she were in a particularly good mood that day, she would be shocked at seeing him and would likely tease him some, if not being rather friendly all around, before they went their separate ways.

If she were in a bad mood, she would shoot him one of her foulest glares and he would skedaddle as fast has his God-given legs would carry him.

On one such occasion, this one, it was obvious something had happened. Now, Shiki wasn't the brotherly type in the least. But even _he_ was hard-pressed not to speak a little sweetly to her in this current state. That being… she was _very _femininely dressed, in a short, white skirt with a gold chain-link belt and a soft, nearly-see-through sleeveless top. Her hair had grown out since last time… it fluttered in waves around her shoulders, its black-blue strands shining like precious onyx in the sun. If it hadn't been for those eyes that screamed she wanted to kill something despite how depressed she looked, he wouldn't have known her from Eve.

"…Tsukasa?"

"Scorpion." _Can't believe she still calls me that._

"Something wrong?"

"Not really." _Liar. Even with a straight face, you're a liar._

"Then why are you clinging to my shirtsleeve?" She really was. They were currently walking across an intersection on the north side of downtown Tokyo II, and she was following him like an obedient little sister would. And those three words- obedient little sister- were usually obsolete between them.

"Because I feel like it."

She never _used _to feel like it, and the fact that she felt like it _now_, on maybe their third meeting in two years, made the matter as confusing as could be. But she looked like, at least to him, she was harmless for the moment.

Sad statement… He's supposed to be her _older_ brother and yet he's almost as scared of her as he used to be of her mother.

They kept walking; his plans to meet Misumi would be put on hold- he doubted that he should involve his savior in this sibling… whatever it was supposed to be. But as they continued to wander along the sidewalk, passing by hoodlums and honest people alike, the concrete sizzling beneath the late summer sun, he gradually worked her hand down into his, tired of it hanging on his sleeve so heavily. He glanced at a shop window, and it hardly made sense when he saw her walking beside him there. Their flashy clothes matched each other surprisingly well, so they didn't look mismatched at all… But the simple acknowledgement that, yes, they were half-brother and half-sister, and surprisingly, they were getting along… It was on all angles an oddity.

A park across the street drew them beneath its shadows, and he picked a particularly large oak with a bench under it and sat down, dragging the still-silent Tsukasa down next to him. Despite feeling uneasy about making Misumi wait, he somehow felt equally uneasy about leaving her alone in this state, and likely as not, if he did, when she came to her senses she wouldn't know where she was. So for a while yet, he sat there, his hand loosely holding hers, and the breeze cooling them beneath a wave of heat.

"… Ryuuji proposed to me."

"Surprised?"

"… Not really."

"Then what's the problem?"

She was talking to _him_ about this? He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair, since she'd fallen silent again. He was late already… In his mind, he was begging her to _please_ say her peace and _scram_, so that he could properly meet his appointment.

"Am I… okay?" Mental activity halted at that moment. Surprised golden eyes turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Her vivid indigo eyes suddenly sharpened and turned to look at him. Her face, once tense for uneasiness, hardened to a determined expression.

"You were in with the yakuza long before I was! Is this really okay?! I know I'm Ayabe Wakasa's 'daughter' and that's supposed to make me someone special, but I was raised by _cops_! I've lived a katagi's life up until now! Is it really okay for me to… to… _marry_ someone that's from the exact _opposite_ world I was raised in?" A burning sensation crept over his body- curse those eyes of hers; they were just like Wakasa's! - and he couldn't help but lean away from her a little in surprise.

"Ain't it fine? You love the Sandaime, don't you?" She blushed.

"That doesn't make any difference! How am I supposed to accomplish something like this?! I've been raised _hating_ the yakuza, and here I am about to marry into them!" He flinched as her hand tightened around his. The other was in a fist already, and it felt like she was going to break a bone or two since it was in the way.

"And?"

She stopped, her head and shoulders drooping. He sighed and scratched his head. Did he _really_ have to be a big brother today? Couldn't she have just talked this out with the brothers she already had? A friend from school? The ojyochan that her boyfriend used to be engaged to? That cop that liked her so well? Tsukasa was not without vents, so why of all people did it have to be _him_?

"How is this even going to work? It's like the saying about a fish loving a bird!"

Suddenly, she went into one of her odd fits- banging her head against the ground, rolling around insanely, twisting and turning and dancing and making no coherent sense in the least. With odd amusement, her half-sibling watched as she pitched a mental fit before his very eyes, waiting for her to become rational again. And a few seconds later, she sat panting in front of him on the ground, near tears and still straight up confused about what the heck to do.

"Love him anyway. If this is about the fish loving a bird, then ask God to give fish wings and birds gills."

He snorted roughly and heaved her up by the shoulder, shoving some pocket change in her hand.

"Go call that idiot and tell him you accept."

* * *

**_AN: _So what if I took a shine to this duo. XP Enjoy and reviewness!**


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